Walter Beckham

353rd FG Ace - 18 Aerial Victories

Walter C. Beckham was born on May 12, 1916, in Paxton, Florida. He
became a United States Army Air Corps cadet in early 1941, commissioned a Second Lieutenant in
December, and then assigned to the Canal Zone and Ecuador. With the
rank of Captain, he joined the 353rd Fighter Group, flying P-47s. They
moved out to Goxhill, England in mid-1943.

In August, the Group
switched its base to Metfield, from where it flew its first combat
mission. Beckham himself scored his first kill in late September, an FW
190 over Nantes. After bagging a Bf-109 on October 6, he made ace on
the 10th, by destroying three twin-engined Messerschmitts.

During the winter of 1943-44, his score mounted, with his
victories
frequently coming in pairs. By mid-February, he had 18 victories, at
that time tops in the ETO. On Feb. 22, on his 57th mission, he was hit
by flak over Ostheim. He bailed out successfully, but was captured and
remained a POW until April, 1945.

Postwar, he stayed with the Air Force, attended three different
universities, and, in 1962, earned a PhD in physics. He worked at the
Air Force Weapons Lab as its chief scientist until his retirement in
June, 1969.